The Sports Xchange

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — Atlanta Falcons defensive line coach Bryan Cox doesn’t want to put too much weight on offseason workouts. He calls them “gym class.”

He said the men separate from the boys when the pads go on, which won’t be until training camp next month.

Still, a couple of players stood out in gym class.

Defensive linemen Grady Jarrett, Cliff Matthews and undrafted rookie Joey Mbu have been the stars so far.

“When you look across the defensive line, you see Grady Jarrett showing some stuff and think he can come out and help,” Cox said. “You like what Cliff Matthews has done. He’s a versatile guy. He can play a bunch of different roles. He looks a little better than he has in the past.

“When you talk about Joey Mbu, as a rookie free agent coming in here, I think he’s shown in gym class that he’s willing to put his hands on (people), play with the proper technique and do what you’re coaching him to do. Those three guys have kind of been the standouts.”

–Atlanta Falcons assistant head coach/defensive passing coordinator Raheem Morris was once on the other sideline as head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 2009 to 2011.

After a stint as Washington’s defensive backs coach from 2012 to 2014, Morris was hired by new Falcons head coach Dan Quinn.

Morris said cornerback Desmond Trufant, the team’s No. 1 draft pick in 2013, is oozing with confidence after a strong 2014.

“Trufant has impressed me even more off the field and then just his on-the-field mentality,” Morris said. “How he is in the meeting rooms with his above-the-neck preparation. How he goes about his business, some of those things have been really impressive for me about Trufant.

“He can answer a (defensive) line question. He can answer a linebacker question. He can answer a secondary question — safety or corner. That type of pedigree and that type of background is something that I didn’t know about and is something that I’m pleasantly surprised at seeing.”

–Cornerback Phillip Adams, a free-agent signee, is an intriguing player. He has bounced around the league but is getting ready to compete for the nickel-back position.

“He has a lot of familiarity with (secondary senior assistant coach) Marquand (Manuel) and coach Quinn from being out there in Seattle with those guys,” Morris said. “So he has a lot of familiarity with the system. He’s a guy that we knew would bring that competitive nature that we love about him. There is a toughness that we love about him.”

–The Falcons can’t wait to see rookie cornerback Jalen Collins on the field working in the defensive scheme. Collins, the second-round pick this year out of LSU, returned to individual drills on Tuesday from a foot injury.

“He’s been very impressive as well in the classroom,” Morris said. “Now he’s getting out there and is able to do some individual work finally. He’s going out there and trying to get after it a little bit. I’m looking forward to seeing him do a little bit more. He’s showing great confidence, which is always important coming into this league. Hopefully, he can keep that confidence and go out there and play some football.”

–Linebacker Brooks Reed, the team’s most significant free-agent signee this offseason, returned from a groin injury that was previously reported as a hamstring issue.

“He had hurt his groin,” defensive coordinator Richard Smith said. “He’d been rehabbing with the strength coaches. I was watching him in individuals (Tuesday). He looked good, but he’s a little bit rusty. He’s going to have to get in football shape. He’s fully aware of that because he’s a veteran guy and he’ll have that opportunity to (get in shape) from now until we get to training camp.”